Guidance for Endoscopy during COVID-19 Pandemic by Bangladesh Medical University Hepatology Alumni Association and It’s Validation

Abstract

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by World Health Organization in early 2020 and the world went into lock-down soon after, which disrupted all spheres of normal life including healthcare delivery. Likewise endoscopy services in Bangladesh was hugely disturbed, which demanded adaptation of safety measures to restart endoscopy during the pandemic.

Methods: This need prompted the Bangladesh Medical University Hepatology Alumni Association to adopt standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure safe delivery of such services to patients in need. The association also decided to test this SOP to assess it’s safety and efficacy.

Results: The SOP was tested in a private sector tertiary care center where more than 5,300 endoscopic procedures were performed between April 2020 to December 2021. Results show that only 5 endoscopy staff and 400 patients developed COVID-19, none severe.

Conclusion: The study shows that the SOP adopted by the association was safe and effective and will be useful as we prepare to face the next pandemic sometime in the future.